


Truly Alone

by Javarack



Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Gen, Loneliness, Psychological Trauma, Video Game Mechanics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-07-21 05:21:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 12,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19996534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Javarack/pseuds/Javarack
Summary: When Kirito said he was going to be a solo player, he never expected this. After the players are reconnected to the system after being moved to a medical facility, Kirito discovers that he his truly alone. He will have to survive the death game without any support from other people.





	1. Disconnection

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! Javarack here! I am now using Archive of Our Own. Most of my stories are on Fanfiction.net, so I'm excited to see what this site has to offer. This story is my most well received with over 90,000+ reads, so I hope you all enjoy!

Darkness… An endless void stretched on as far as the eye can see. ‘What’s going on?’ The black haired player glanced around, looking for anything besides an empty space. 

Suddenly, light surrounded him, and Kirito quickly blinked to allow his eyes to adjust to the new environment. ‘What just happened?’ The began to materialize around him. ‘This is where I was just before everything disappeared…’

Silence hung in the air. Nothing moved besides the onyx eyes of the lone player. ‘Kayaba said that the players would be disconnected to allow transport to a local medical facility. That has to be what just occurred. I must have been the first to re-establish a link to the main system.’

Kirito began to head through the empty streets. The market district came into view, and NPC’s began to call out to him, asking him to browse their wares. Ignoring them, the young player increased his pace, looking for any trace of life remaining in the large starting town of the death game. Panic crept into Kirito’s mind as he continued his desperate search. It took roughly two hours for Kirito to finish his expedition throughout the large virtual town. Every building was empty besides a few NPC’s that ran the shops.

Entering the plaza, Kirito fell to his knees. Not a single soul remained in the game, besides himself. ‘I was going to play solo, at least around the start of the game, but this is different. I knew people would be around to help if it was necessary, but no one is playing this game with me anymore. Kayaba said he would give us two hours to be moved to a medical facility, and that time has passed. I truly am alone.’ His cold hands ran through his midnight black hair, and it almost seemed as if his pupils were pulsating. Kirito’s reality was being torn apart by the claws of fear. 

He shook his head, trying to force any negative thoughts out of his mind. The dread was gone, and was replaced by determination. ‘I still have to survive, to escape this game and return to Sugu. And everyone at school. I must return to the real world!’ As he slowly stood up, a small gust of wind blew in between the buildings, causing his blue shirt to flutter around his frame. Tensing the muscles in his legs, Kirito took a large first step as he began to run towards the exit of town. 

Reaching the plains, Kirito reached for his sword that was secured by a leather strap. Sliding the small iron blade out of its wooden sheath, a slight scraping noise could be heard. The wood was encased in leather, to preserve the oak it was carved from. The sky began to grow dim, and lights could be seen flashing across the open grassed area as monsters continued to spawn. A low rumble sounded from behind Kirito, and he turned around. A gray wolf stood there, baring its teeth at the player. Adrenalin began to pump through the lone players’ bloodstream. He rested the sword on his shoulder, and it began to glow a bright sky blue. Leaping at the wolf, he held his sword straight out, stabbing through the creature’s head until it was completely cut in half. ‘Thats one, but I need to defeat more. Many more, if I am going to survive by myself.’ Running forward, Kirito sliced through a boar, then spun to the left, hitting another wolf with the hilt of his weapon. 

This continued for one hour, until the sky was black and the virtual moon was resting high on the bottom of the second floor. Kirito made his way back to the . ‘Level nine, with six hundred and three health points (I decided that the health would increase by a random number between 30-35 every level until you reach certain level milestones). That is better, but not nearly enough to challenge the floor boss.’ Looking around, Kirito spotted an inn to the west of him. Making his way to it, the sound of his footsteps echoed throughout the area. He entered the small building and approached the reception desk. The innkeeper NPC greeted him, “Would you like to purchase a room?” 

A window appeared in front of Kirito, and he scrolled through the room options. Settling on a one bed, single bath, room, he placed his hand on the scanner and the Col was subtracted from his account. A room key appeared in his inventory, and the player made his way up the stairs and to his purchased room. Sliding the key into the door, it opened without an issue. Closing the door behind him, Kirito collapsed onto the bed. Sleep overtook his body, and his limbs went limp from exhaustion. One final thought ran through his mind, ‘I don’t want to be alone…’


	2. Unity

Sunlight reflected off Kirito’s metal chestplate. Several days had passed, and the fact that he was alone had been accepted by the lone player. His only desire was to survive, even if no one could support him. His family needed him, Sugu needed him. Over the six days that had passed, Kirito was able to upgrade his equipment. Sporting a steel sword, secured to his body with a leather strap. Almost half of the first floor had been explored, and he had discovered many dungeons. ‘I should continue to level up, I will need it.’ 

Opening his menu, Kirito clicked on his map and placed a marker near the far western edge of it. Dashing off, his blue shirt blew around as he increased his speed. A boar appeared and lept at him, it’s tusk trained on his abdomen. ‘One hit.’ Kirito quickly drew his sword from its sheath, then let it glide across the ground. With a small flick of the wrist, his sword cut into the flesh of the creature. It squealed before shattering into polygons of green data. A level up notification appeared in front of him, but Kirito quickly pressed the red X symbol, closing the message. ‘Wow, didn’t think I was that close to reaching level twenty two.’ 

  


In front of the lone player stood a large cave mouth. Stalactites hung from the roof, some almost touching the cold floor. ‘I remember hearing about this place. I never got to explore it during the beta test, I guess now is a better time than any.’ Slowly, he entered the cavern. Mildew could be seen growing on the walls, the white color reflecting what little sunlight managed to penetrate the forest canopy that surrounded the cave. Equipping one of his skills, Kirito was able to see almost perfectly in the dark. A dripping noise could be faintly heard in the depths of the cavern.

Heading deeper, Kirito noticed that the cave branched off into three different directions. Deciding on the left pathway, he continued to explore the area. A shuffling noise could be heard from behind him. Stopping, he slightly turned his head to the right, using his peripheral vision to look back. Nothing was there, only the sound of the dripping water. ‘I don’t normally get freaked out, but this cave is giving me a bad vibe.’ Suddenly, the wind was knocked out of him, and Kirito was sent sliding against the limestone floor.

A red kobold was standing where Kirito was a moment before. Pulling his sword out of it’s resting place, and held it up into the air, pointing the tip at the monster. The sword began to glow a sky blue, and Kirito charged the beast. Stabbing into the kobold, he lept into the air, dragging his sword through the creature’s body. Touching back onto the ground, he waited for the notification giving him his reward. No such message appeared, and an uncomfortable feeling spread across his back as the kobold attacked with it’s hammer. In the top left corner of his vision, Kirito’s health fell to eight hundred and sixty-seven. 

‘How is it still alive? Just how strong is this thing!?’ Turning to face the kobold, the lone player raised his sword quickly, blocking the move executed by the creature. Resting the sword next to his body, he activated another sword skill. Slashing into the monster, his sword made a square shape. A grin crept across Kirito’s face as his opponent disappeared into fragments of turquoise data. ‘, just as powerful as I expected.’ 

Kirito looked ahead and spotted an opening. Entering the larger cavern, small skeleton monsters spawned. They started to surround the young man. Setting his sword on his shoulder, Kirito waited until they were as close as possible. The sword began to glow a deep red as he activated . ‘This AoE skill should take all of these monsters out, one hit should be all it takes.’ Spinning all the way around, his sword formed a large circle. Kirito watched as their health bars fell to zero, and then they shattered into small light particles. His health gauge increased to one thousand one hundred and forty-nine with his new level. In the back of the cavern, a chest appeared. 

Before Kirito could reach it, a large white figure fell from the ceiling of the cave. wielded a large scimitar and a round leather shield. It had a cape with flame patterns running along it. Four health gauges appeared next to the creature’s body. ‘A mid-boss!? I have no choice, I have to fight.’ 

The skeleton let out a deep toned roar and pulled its sword up into the air. Letting gravity drag it down, the sword came directly for Kirito’s head. Performing a somersault to the left, the monster’s weapon smashed into the earth. ‘It’s slow, now is my chance!’ He placed his one handed long sword against the scimitar and dashed towards the beast. The scraping sound of steel on steel resonated through the tunnels of the cave. Taking flight, Kirito hung in the air. Several quick slashes from the player cause the creature to stagger. Landing back on the limestone surface, the former beta tester activated once again. The steel longsword traced a quadrilateral pattern into the monster. Kirito glanced upwards, looking at the health of the beast. A symbol had appeared next to the, now, remaining two gauges of health. ‘It’s stunned, great!’ 

Another sword skill activated, and Kirito’s sword began to glow blue once again. Stabbing the monster, he jumped into the air, cutting through the pixels that formed the beast. He landed back on the ground and waited for the next attack. The skeleton’s eye sockets flashed red, and the scimitar swung around at a much faster pace. It cut into the player, leaving red gashes across him, and his health in the yellow zone. Kirito fell to one knee from the feeling of the blade piercing his frame. Another attack came from the right, but the light skinned man was able to fend it off with his weapon. ‘It’s time.’ 

Running forward, Kirito fell, sliding between the monster’s legs. Quickly recovering, he activated to take out both legs of the beast. Feeling his sword connect with it’s target, the swordsman followed through, pulling his weapon back to his side. The creature fell down, and it’s health slowly moved into the red zone. ‘The attack pattern should change now.’ 

Suddenly, Kirito was sent flying into the wall a few meters away. The had kicked it’s leg out to attack the player. Watching his health fall into the red area, Kirito slowly stood up. ‘I will win, I can’t die here!’ Resting his sword on his shoulder, it began to glow a bright orange color. A new skill was activated, and Kirito dashed forward, holding his sword straight out. It stabbed through the skeleton’s body, which was still on the ground. Coming to a stop, Kirito flung his sword back, slashing into the monster. It let out a roar before disappearing. ‘Another level up.’ He had reached level twenty-four. Placing his sword into its sheath located on his back, the lone player stepped up to the chest. Opening it, a message appeared, stating that a new weapon had been placed in his inventory. Going through his menu, Kirito found the new item. ‘A new sword, , kinda ironic. It has a six percent chance of causing paralysis, that will be a major help. Plus it increases my stats by a decent amount.’ Equipping the new sword, it appeared in place of his former weapon. The swordsman unsheathed the new longsword to inspect it. The blade was long, about ninety-six centimeters (38 inches). It was made from what appeared to be titanium. The handle was encased in leather, and the hilt was also titanium, but was studded with quartz. It was heavy, about one and half kilograms. ‘With this, I can defeat the floor boss. In a few days I will be on the second floor.’


	3. Beyond

Footsteps resonated throughout the opening located in front of two large doors. Being isolated from any other living creature had started to show on the player, as his midnight black hair was matted and stuck out awkwardly in some locations. His physical appearance was changing, but Kirito’s mind was completely intact. ‘Illfang… If I remember correctly, he has minions that continuously spawn. They should pose no threat to me, besides distracting me from the real challenge, the actual floor boss. I’m just glad I finally found it, and it only took three weeks.’ 

Unsheathing , the determined player used his free hand to push the double doors open. Slowly making his way inside, Kirito darted his eyes around. ‘The area should light up…now!’ As if on command, the enormous cavern began to change from a dark gray to a rainbow colored pattern running along every surface. Behind him, the doors slammed closed, causing the ground beneath his feet to shake. 

After the brief quivering effect halted, everything was quiet. Suddenly, s started to spawn across the room. Assuming his usual fighting stance, Kirito stood stone solid, unmoving. The monsters charged at the swordsman, and he made his move. The first sentinel entered Kirito’s striking range, and the young teen took advantage of his superior speed. Easily deflecting the kobold’s first attack, the lone player began his counter. ‘Three hits should be all it takes for these guys. If things get heated, I always have my AoE skills.’

First, he performed a vertical strike downwards, then quickly flicked his sword to the left, slashing left to right. Finally, he moved his weapon down and executed a diagonal cut from the right of gody across to his left, dragging his longsword upwards. The shattered apart into multicolored polygons. Repeating this same process, he dispatched all three enemies in under one minute. A red flash appeared in the back of the room, and a large beast gripped it’s weapon and jumped up into the air. It landed, and the earth shook. Next to the over two meter tall monster, and four health bars appeared.

Charging forward, Kirito lowered his sword, allowing it to scrape along the stone ground. Aiming for the right leg, cut through the air. Before connecting with the blue-gray fur of the monster, Illfang moved his shield down to block the attack. Feeling the full weight of his blow deflected into the air, Kirito’s muscles flexed as he tried to reverse the momentum of his longsword. Jumping back, the player tried to plot out his next attack. Before he could finish his preparation, Illfang swung it’s bone axe at him. Narrowly dodging the blow, the swordsman started his next onslaught of attacks. Quickly landing six cuts on both legs of the beast, he placed his sword on his shoulder, activating a sword skill. ‘Time to try this out.’

began to glow a deep crimson color. Using his newly acquired sword skill, , Kirito cut right to left. He then turned his sword ninety degrees and performed a vertical slash. Illfang let out a bloodcurdling roar as the heavy hit skill drained it’s health down to the third bar. Three more s spawned in the room and all converged on the Kirito. Using an area of effect skill, the solo player cut through all three of the creatures, and they disappeared as quickly as they had spawned. Pain ran through his body as Illfang’s bone axe cut along his back. In the top left corner of his vision, Kirito watched as his health fell down into the low green zone. 

Recovering, the swordsman attacked again, rapidly slashing with no obvious pattern, but he had a plan. ‘If I randomly change my attack angle, the boss will have no way to deflect my blows.’ traced a square pattern along Illfang’s left leg, and a two dimensional sky-blue rhombus appeared on each side of the leg. Another health bar was gone, and three more sentinels spawned. Kirito dispatched of the nuisances and continued his attack on Illfang. He was set in a rhythm, defeat the three sentinels, attack the boss. Time seemed to drag on as Illfang’s health gradually decreased. Every time tried to make a counterattack, Kirito was able to either dodge or block the move.

Reaching the final health gauge, the last three sentinels spawned. Destroying the first one, the swordsman received a hit on the back of his leg. Falling to a single knee, Kirito was hardly able to deflect the second attack. Spinning on his knee, the player’s weapon cut through all three of the s, lowering their health to the yellow range. A whistling noise sounded from above him. Kirito looked up to see Illfang’s bone axe was making its way straight towards him. Rolling to the right, he listened to the sound of the axe cutting through each of the sentinels bodies, then as they turned into fragments of data. Once again, Kirito activated and attacked the monster. With a few more hits, the final health gauge fell to exactly one-third.

Illfang let out a roar, and threw away his axe and shield. Reaching to his back, the floor boss pulled out his long sword. ‘That should be a Talwar.’ The weapon began to glow as he activated a sword skill. ‘Wait, the shape is off…That’s not a Talwar, it’s a nōdachi.’ Illfang started with a slash right to left. Kirito lifted his sword to meet the blade, and a metallic ring sounded from the point where the swords met. The force of the blow launched the player across the room. Digging into the ground, Kirito let out a yell and charged forward, his sword glowing a bright blue. ‘This ends now, I am moving beyond this floor. I will clear this game!’ Stabbing into , Kirito braced his legs to jump. Lifting off of the ground, the player ripped through the creature. Feeling the resistance pulling against his weapon disappear, the swordsman flipped to the right, then landed on his feet. The floor boss let out a roar and broke apart into small pieces of data. 

Kirito fell onto his back and looked up to see a large congratulation message near the center of the room. A notification appeared in front of him, and a second window appeared. ‘Last attack bonus?’ He pressed the blue circle and a black coat materialized around his frame. ‘Looks like I reached level thirty six.’ Kirito rose from the ground and headed for the teleport gate. ‘It's time to move on, I must get stronger. Nothing will stop me!’ A blue-white light blocked the player from view, and he was on his way to new heights in a game of death.


	4. Chapter 4

Thick forest covered almost every meter of land as Kirito explored floor seventeen (As far as I know, there is no description of floor 17, if anyone knows what it actually looks like, feel free to tell me). One year and four months had passed, and the lone player had managed to survive against every enemy he had encountered. Kirito had established a plan on how to spend his time on every floor. 

Being the only player in his version of , the swordsman had to accomplish everything by himself. Exploring dungeons, discovering the boss room, fighting the boss, completing quest, and so on. So many requirements thrown onto one young man. To retain his sanity, Kirito had decided that the best thing to do was become proficient in all skills available to him. This would increase his time in the death game, but would allow him to change up his daily routine. ‘My blacksmithing skill is already almost maxed out, and I finished my cooking skill last week.’ Holding his newly crafted sword up, he checked out the specifications on the weapon. The sword was named and was red in color, with yellow stripes running along it. ‘This is terrible, I’ll just sell it to an NPC.’ 

Kirito’s plan was simple to follow. The first week on a floor would be spent developing other skills besides combat. The next three weeks were spent doing quest and leveling up. The remaining two weeks are used to search for the boss room. It takes him roughly one month and one week to clear a floor, but that was starting to slow down as the monsters were becoming more powerful, and the requirements to complete quest increased. 

He had maxed his one handed sword skill back on floor nine, and had since been using a scimitar. The weapon was smaller and lightweight, but packed a hefty damage stat. Kirito had also changed his way of thinking. Being isolated from any other creature would normally tear away at a person’s soul, but Kirito had decided to talk to NPCs (Yes, I do know that is essentially talking to yourself, but hey, he has to do SOMETHING, right?). It may not appear as the best option, but It helped to ease his mind by saying his thoughts aloud, even if he would never get a response. When he wasn’t following his established plan, Kirito would practice by repeating maneuvers in his inn room. ‘I won’t be able to win by relying on sword skills programmed into the game. I need to create my own combos, an original sword skill.’ 

Every night, the swordsman would dream about escaping the hell that was forced upon him. Images of the outside world; his school, his home, and his family would race through his mind. The next morning, he would wake with tears soaked into his pillow. ‘I will leave this place, nothing will stop me.’ 

Kirito left the safety of town, making his way to the labyrinth that sheltered the floor boss.


	5. Availability

Pixels erupted from the enormous reptile as it disappeared and a large congratulation message appeared at the top of the giant room. Pulling out a health crystal, Kirito crushed it and watched as his health left the yellow and went to bright green. He rolled his shoulders, listening to the multiple cracks that sounded from his joints. The sound of footsteps filled his ears as he walked to the back of the room. Opening the doors, the teleport gate rested in the in the center of the newly discovered location. ‘Time to activate it.’ Kirito stepped up to the small pedestal and blue light surrounded his figure.

A cold gust blasted the swordsman as the bright light receded from around his body. White buildings filled the small town, and stone paths ran in between buildings. Oil lamps hung from support structures that casted a soft glow across the village of . The red roofs of the buildings were holding up large amounts of white precipitation, some dripping onto the the hedges below. Opening his inventory, Kirito changed his armor. A black undershirt materialized around him, and a titanium plate appeared around his chest wrapping around to his sides. The last piece of equipment was a long black coat. The trim was a thick white wool that helped insulated the player. The collar of the outfit reached up to his mouth. Heat instantly flooded his body as the coat repelled any cool wind from connecting with his frame. 

Walking around the village, Kirito stumbled upon the inn. Stepping inside, he purchased a room and made his way to the third floor. The door creaked as he pushed it open. A soft click sounded as Kirito closed the door behind him. Collapsing onto the bed, he swiftly fell asleep.

Entering the small blacksmithing building, Kirito headed straight for the back door. Opening it, he saw stairs and an NPC. Waving to the non-player character (non-playable character, non-person character, however you want to say it), he looked through the options presented to him as he approached it and payed to use the forge. Swiping his hand down, the in game menu appeared in front of him and he tapped on the player icon. A side menu with multiple circles rose from the clicked on icon, and Kirito pressed on one of the circles. This brought up the skills menu, and he swiped his finger through them. Equipping and , he continued his search for one more skill. ‘Where is it?!’ Many skills flew by him, and a few did not look familiar to him. ‘Whatever, they don’t look important, especially for what I trying to accomplish right now.’ Finally finding , he went into his inventory and brought out multiple raw ores.

Equipping a small golden hammer, Kirito began his work. His skill allowed him to change the ore into purified ingots. From there, he used his ; banging on the ingot caused it to change shape and a set of steel arm bracers were crafted. Lastly, he used his skill to judge his work. The specifications on the new piece of equipment was not the best he had ever done, but he decided to place the bracers in his inventory.

Leaving the building, he decided to explore the floor. The size of each floor had been gradually shortening, allowing him to clear them at a faster rate. Exiting the town of , Kirito made his way through the snow covered fields. In the distance, a fir forest could be seen. As he approached it, the name appeared on his map. Entering the dense foliage, the area became dark, and the swordsman was teleported to a random area. Looking around, he spotted a large curved fir tree that seemed to stand above all others. ‘I guess I will head there.’ 

Arriving in a clearing, the tree stood before him. A monster descended from a branch high above the ground. It wore a red hat, and had a bushy white beard. The skin on the behemoth was ice blue, as if it had frozen to death. Reaching for his weapon, Kirito pulled out a two-handed spear that was resting on his back. It felt unnatural in his hands, and the weight seemed unbalanced. Four health gauges appeared, along with the name . Dashing toward the monster, Kirito lunged out with the weapon. It pierced the beast, and the first health bar appeared untouched. The event boss’s eyes flashed yellow, and it swung its battle axe. Leaping backwards, Kirito narrowly avoided the attack. ‘I need to switch weapons! Think...think...I got it!’ Throwing the spear, it stabbed into the creature’s pupil, causing it to let out a bellowing, distraught roar. 

Opening his skills menu, Kirito tried to decide what the best option would be for the situation. Confirming the changes, he looked up to see ripping the spear from his eye. Quickly swiping through his inventory, he set up his new equipment set. 

Slowly, the swordsman rose from his kneeling position. His spear disappeared, replaced with a one handed long sword. The boss swung its weapon, but Kirito locked his sword with it. Kirito let out a yell and pushed the giant battle axe away, then charged the event boss. Jumping into the air, he slashed from right to left. Placing his left hand behind his back, blue particles emerged. Once they receded, a second sword was resting on his back. Unsheathing it, Kirito slashed upward, cutting through ’s frozen skin. Landing back on the ground, Kirito activated the only skill available to him, . His swords flashed a green color, and the dual swordsman spun in a circle, tearing through the monster’s legs. As he completed his attack, a whistling sound signified that Nicholas was attacking. Right as the green aura left his weapons, he transitioned to defense, using . ‘Dual Blades and Holy Sword, together, I can clear this game!’ Showing no attack pattern, Kirito hacked away at the event boss, draining every bar of his health at an unbelievable rate. The monster broke apart into shards of multicolored data. 

‘ lets me switch between offense and defense at will, even in the middle of a sword skill. And , two swords at once. My attack speed bonus is one point eighty times. Weapon defense bonus of one point fifty times, and and cooldown time bonus of one point twenty times.’ With these new skills, Kirito set out to find the boss room, ignoring his normal plan.


	6. Original

The katana cut cleanly through the lizard creature. Spinning the blade, the samurai sheathed his weapon. One strand of ginger hair fell across his face, and Klein quickly placed it back under his fire red bandana. Members of the guild walked up to their leader. The armor clad sword wielder nodded to his followers, which was a sign to continue the search for the boss room. 

The players of the real had reached floor seventy-four two weeks ago. Almost two years had passed since the ten thousand players that received a copy of the most anticipated VRMMORPG had been locked in the game. After the first month of the game launch, before clearing floor one, half of the former beta tested had been struck down by their fellow players. As of floor eight, all eight hundred beta testers that had migrated to the game were murdered, all but one (Based on information located on the Sword Art Online Wikia). People blamed the testers for not telling them that everyone would become trapped, and accused them of cheating in the game. The one tester that had not been killed in cold blood, Kirito, had not been seen by anyone since floor one. ‘Kirito...what happened to you man?’ 

Blue light receded from the player as he spawned in the . Looking to the north, Klein spotted the . Making his way to the large rectangular building, he saw the common castle walls and moat that encircled the structure. Entering the enormous palace. It was completely empty except for a stone slab that measured ten meters across. The displayed the name of every player. If the name was crossed out, it signified that the player was dead, and it also showed how they passed away and the exact time of death. Glancing through the board, Klein spotted the name of the person he was looking for. ‘Kirito is still alive, sweet!’ It had become a ritual for the samurai since floor ten. After no one had heard from young swordsman since floor one, he had decided to check on the monument.

Just over six thousand names had been scratched out. ‘Only four thousand of us remain, damn!’ He punched the stone, only to start waving his hand rapidly at the sensation that followed. Leaving the , Klein decided to explore the first floor. It had been about one year and half since he last stepped onto the plains outside of the . Memories began to flood back to him. ‘This is where Kirito taught me to use sword skills for the first time. Damnit! Where are you man?!’ There were seventy-four floors for one man to search, alone. Klein knew he didn’t have time to look for him, he had to lead the . Very few guilds remained in the game; many had been destroyed as they challenged floor bosses by themselves. The final guilds that lead almost every player of were the , , , and the . Each were about one thousand players strong, and they were the leaders for floor progression. 

The remaining players figured it would take about one more year to clear the game, and that was if everyone survived. Certain players had established names for themselves in the death trap. A routine was established back on floor fifty. The front line guilds were ordered to spend no more than three weeks on a floor. This allowed for steady progression of .

Klein was ready to escape the death game. ‘One more year, and I’m free.’


	7. Broken

Hell is the only word capable of describing the landscape of Kirito’s mind as his third year in the death game came to a close. Agony pooled in the deepest recesses of his subconscious. Any trace of humanity was gane; he was an animal. The darker side of human nature had reared it’s icy fangs and consumed his fragile soul. Pain was nothing to him, all feeling had left his body months ago. He had entered the primal human form, survival mode. Kirito had been broken.

Floor sixty-one rose up around him. Pixels stacked on each other until they formed structures. Making his way through the town, Kirito looked for the exit gate leading out of the safe zone. Normal monsters posed no threat to the level one hundred and sixty-eight player. Only boss creatures, such as floor and mid bosses, could challenge him. They were meant for large groups of people after all.

Mobs began to spawn across the open area, bright flashes signifying their arrivals. His skill had been maxed out long ago, so Kirito had begun a search for the perfect weapons to use in tandem. On floor fifty, he had received a demonic monster drop, which turned out to be an one handed longsword, named . For a random item drop, the specifications were off the charts. Being a master blacksmith by this point, Kirito had quickly raised the weapon to plus fifty, the highest it could be increased. 

After obtaining a , which turned out to be dragon feces, he had crafted . Upon reaching floor sixty, Kirito had discovered a quest which rewarded a new ore. After completing the aforementioned task, he had received the reward.

Now, as monsters blocked his path, Kirito unsheathed his two blades. A solid white sword rested in his right hand. The handle was snow white with bumps acting as the grip for the weapon. The hilt was shaped like a trident, three spikes pointing off in different directions. Moving upward to the hand guard, a beryllonite gem was in the center. The guard raised the blade, and three spikes moved upwards. A gap was formed in between the location of the stone and the base of the blade. It was stout and wide, then curved in slightly before winding back to its original size and then moving to a single point (). It was named . In his left hand, he held the demon sword . The two blades were polar opposites, one white, one black. One was life, the other death.

Sword fighting had become a second nature to him. Hacking his way through the small creatures, he made his way to the boss room. A pattern had emerged, and it seemed as if the boss room was always located around the large pillar that ran through the entirety of . It took one flick of his weapon to defeat a monster. ‘Slash! Slash! Slash! Kill! Kill! Kill! He was laughing psychotically. The death game had taken its toll on the lone player. 

Having defeated the opposing creatures, Kirito ran towards the cylinder in the sky. It was visible from every point on the floor, so it was an easy target. Crossing vast plains took no time at all, as his speed and agility stat were extremely high. and gliding a few centimeters off the ground. The white sword had specifications above , which was one of the strongest one handed longsword Kirito had discovered. stats were as follows:   
Range: Short  
Type: Slash  
Attack: 730-770  
Durability: 1460  
Weight: 180 (I have no idea what unit of measure this is. I know it is not kilograms, that would be over 200 pounds!)  
Requires: 68  
Equip: +56  
Strength: +32  
Agility: +49  
Running  
He had quickly raised the blade to plus forty, which was the max it could be upgraded. 

Reaching the labyrinth, Kirito made his way inside. Monsters began to spawn, and he quickly dispatched them. Minutes felt like hours as he scoured the large dungeon, coming across multiple dead ends. Finally, he spotted the doors to the boss room at the end of a large hallway. Walking up to them, he pushed them open. ‘Kill, advance.’ The doors slammed shut as he entered the cavern.


	8. Complete

‘Help me.’ Everything was against the lone player as he continued his struggle to survive. Levitating monsters spawned across the dense forest of floor ninety. Letting his swords swirl around his body, Kirito slashed through the beast. One mid level boss, remained. Initiating a dual blade sword skill, his swords began to glow a bright yellow. A single skill would defeat this creature, one he had received upon maxing out the unique skill, . Many seconds dragged by as Kirito waited for the boss monster to approach him. A roar filled his ears as the beast charged at him. cut into the monster and ripped its body apart. Increasing the speed of his swings, Kirito spun around twice, changing direction each time. Making a final jab into the mid level boss, he pulled his swords opposite directions, draining the final health bar of the enemy. Echos of the fight resonated throughout the dense woodland.

The information box appeared, but he could not gain any experience points. Rotating his blades in his hands, he placed them back into their individual sheaths. A cool gust of wind blew between the trees and ruffled Kirito’s black jacket. Venturing deeper into the forest, he began to look around. Exploring every inch of a floor had become a common habit to the player. Laying his hand on a large boulder, it easily moved to the side. Entering the opening that formed, his vision grew dark as the canopy blocked every ray of artificial sunlight. Raising his hand up, Kirito swiped down and went to the skills menu. Finding the skill, it allowed him to see in the infrared spectrum of light. Rigorously forcing himself to strain his eyes in the dark awarded him this skill. Orange color was visible from the trees as they gave off thermal energy by just being alive. 

Moving his head to the right, blue signified that objects were cool. The sound of his feet crunching leaves beneath them bounced from tree to tree. Heavy drops of water colliding with the forest floor was residue from the previous night's rainfall. Eyeing a chest in the distance, he began to walk to it. ‘You’re mine!’ Emotionless as he approached the small treasure box, he snapped the seal and opened the crate. A small dagger was resting in the bottom, and Kirito lifted the blade out of its resting chamber. Rare ore was used to craft the weapon, but he had no use for such a small blade with no reach. Throwing the dagger aside, he rose back from his kneeling position on the ground. Watching as the chest disappeared, he turned around and began to exit the dense forest location of floor ninety.

Everything was still as he left the woodland behind him. Nothing moved around him; it was almost as if the computer system of had caused a change in the AI of monsters and they appeared to avoid the lone player. Trudging through the marsh that separated him for the town of , Kirito listened to the sound of his boots digging into the mud pools. Yellow flowers appeared as he reached the end of the swampy area. 

The arch towered over him as Kirito entered the village. Hanging from the tops of the buildings in the town were red chains that were used to hold open the doors, as instead of opening in or out, they were lifted up. Incentives were placed outside of food locations to bring players into the stores. Reaching to his right, Kirito placed his hand on the wall that surrounded the town. The bricks were cool to the touch, and were sanded down. Yawning loudly, the swordsman began making his way to an inn. Seeing a small wooden sign that sported a green dragon, Kirito decided this would be the location he would choose to rest for the evening. Inside, the building had a warmth that washed over his body and allowed his muscles to release their built up tension. Xanthic fluids rested on the counter of the reception desk. 

Increasing his pace up the flight of stairs, Kirito reached his purchased room. Achieving what had been seen as impossible was easy to do when you are alone. Making his way through his menu, he glanced over his stats and skills. One thing remained in his way. Nothing else could phase the player, except the thought of facing the final boss of the game. Many images ran through his mind of giant monsters that all had the possibility of being his final opponent. Years had gone by, and yet Kirito had managed to survive the game thus far. Willpower was the only thing that could have driven him to this point; it had helped him to reach the highest level the game allowed, along with receiving every skill possible in the game. Another feat in itself, his ability to think rationally, even while insanity took hold of his mind. Yearning for a sign of humanity could also be an explanation as to how he had lived to this day. However many ideas he could come up with, one fact remained, he was not safe yet. Onslaughts of monsters still remained for him to fight. Many new monsters to discover, and more items to find. Even so, Kirito was ready, ready to complete the game and escape this hell.


	9. Escape

Crimson filled his eyes as Kirito arrived in front of the Ruby Palace. The light that was resonating from the structure was astounding. Large waterfalls stood around the walls of the building. Crashing indigo water splashed around him and filled his ears with their sound. The doors were solid gold and reflected his image in them. Matted hair and a dirty face greeted his eyes. Placing his hand on the beautiful carve patterns that ran along the length of the metallic surface. Pushing on it, the door gave way with ease, revealing a spectacular sight as he entered the building.

Light poured into the room through the multi colored glass panes. Violet seemed to be the majority of the artfully crafted windows as Kirito gazed around them. Everything seemed fit for a human, not the monsters he was accustomed to. Another set of ivory colored doors rested at the back of the large room. Approaching the doors, he pushed on them, and even more light poured into his vision. What he saw destroyed his mind, and the sanity he has recovered was extinguished. 

A player was sitting in the thorne located at the back of the room. The lime colored pedestal located in front of him blocked some of Kirito’s vision, but he could make out the face and the white armor of the man. 

“Welcome player, you have reached the final floor of , and for that, I must congratulate you. No other players have shown themselves,” the man spoke as he stood up and started walking towards Kirito. No words left the swordsman’s mouth as he watched the player approach him. “I am the final boss of this game, to win, you must defeat me.”

‘NPC, not player. Destroy, survive, escape!’ Kirito drew his dual blades that rested on his back. The non-playable character pulled up his shield as unsheathed his sword that rested inside of it. Kirito waited for an opening, calculating every possible angle he could attack from. The man’s sword began to glow amber, and he swung at the swordsman. Blocking his first slash, Kirito began his counter maneuver. Holding his swords close together, he cut from left to right. Deep gashes ran along the red trim armored enemy. His health fell slightly, but Kirito kept on the offensive. His dual swords began to glow, and was initiated. The heavy hit skill cut into the opponent and caused him to stagger. Once the attack was finished, the NPC named bashed Kirito with his shield. The lone player went sailing into the wall a few meters away. Taking advantage of the opportunity, activated another sword skill. With his sword encased in an imperial colored light, he lunged at the young man. Piercing into his avatar, Kirito let out a heaving sound as pain shot through his body. Glancing at his remaining health; it was moving down steadily, and had just crossed into the midway portion.

Putting his blades together, Kirito pushed back against the final boss. Now free from his pinned position against the wall, he began to attack once more. Neon light covered his swords as he activated and charged at the enemy, cutting right through him. The playing field was evened up, each fighter at exactly half health. Dashing forward, Kirito resumed his onslaught. Something had changed, was now deflecting every attack the swordsman performed.

The shield lifted up and sent flying out of his hand, and left him with a single blade. now began to swing at Kirito, and it was a even match. Every attack Kirito threw at the enemy, it would be blocked, and vice-versa. Clearing the game was right in front of him, just one more boss. Images of his home flashed through his mind, seeing every memory he had experienced in the real world. Determination began to flow throughout his body, and Kirito’s attack speed seemed to increase. Multiple cuts connected with the opponent, all in the blink of an eye. A howl left as he had no opportunity to deflect the attacks of the swordsman. His final health bar depleted, shattered and broke apart. 

A voice boomed overhead, “You have cleared the game, as of right now, every player will be logged out. Thank you for playing, and congratulations on surviving .”

Darkness filled his vision once again, just how it was before the start of this grueling trial.


	10. Alternate Ending 1

Darkness filled his vision once again, just how it was before the start of this grueling trial. He waited, waited for the world to appear around him, but nothing happened. Seconds dragged by until a voice boomed overhead, “Kirito, I must congratulate you on clearing my test. I believe no one but you could survive my game alone, and it would appear I choose correctly. I have one more surprise for you before you can leave my world...” 

The voice trailed off, and the swordsman’s mind shattered. It was all a test, everything was designed by Kayaba to go against him, and the result was a hollow body of a man, no soul remaining.

Their plan had been destroyed after reaching floor seventy-five. Finding the boss room only took one week, but the fight was far more challenging than expected. had taken four attempts until they managed to defeat it. It took five months before the remaining three thousand two hundred and sixty-one players were able to move on in their quest for survival. Instead of the projected three years to clear the death game, it was now their fifth year trapped in the game. Every player in the game was gathered to challenge the final enemy. The stood before the remaining three guilds. , , and were the final guilds focused on clearing the floors, and they had finally reached the finale. The leader of the stepped forward and pushed on the door. It swung open, and the sight was unbelievable. 

Beautiful lights and items rested along the walls of the palace. The players gawked at the sights, taking in everything they could see. Klein stepped forward and turned around, “Remember everyone, we are here to challenge the final boss of this game and escape back to the real world! Let's do this!”

A roar erupted from every person present for the boss raid, and they pushed forward toward the large ivory doors that separated them from the final enemy. Shock filled the faces of the players. 

A man clad in full black attire stared at the people. stepped in between the crowd of players and the lone man. His voice boomed across the space, “Congratulations on reaching the final floor of my world. I am Kayaba Akihiko, the creator of and the NerveGear. The man you see before you is the final boss, and you must defeat him to logout of this game. But, he must defeat all of you to escape as well. One versus three thousand, this will be one amazing show.”

Finishing his statement, left the players to crumble at what he had just revealed. Klein ran to the front of the group, “Kirito! Is that you?!”

Slowly raising his head up, Kirito stared at the man. ‘My...name?’ In the back of the group a player began to yell, “Kill him! One for three thousand, it is a fair trade!”

Others began to rally around him, and a small side group consisting of two hundred of the original three thousand began to charge at Kirito. Swords and maces collided with his body, but nothing caused him to flinch. After the onslaught was finished, the players looked at his health gauge, which appeared untouched. ‘Survive…’ Reaching behind his back, two swords materialized. Every player stood in awe at the man that was now revealed to be their final challenge. Two swords were unusable in the game, or so that is what everyone thought. Others had tried, but after a few seconds the weapon would automatically be placed back in their inventories. Kirito spun and cut into the player's skin, and quickly dispatched of the rebels. This is when spoke up once again, “There are many unique skills in this game. For my test, I made them exclusive to Kirito, as I knew he would earn them. That is why no one has received these skills in our online version of ”

One male player wielding a mace ran at Heathcliff and swung at him, but a small purple box appeared above his head reading ‘Immortal Object’. Kayaba’s avatar laughed, and tilted his head to the right. The dark skinned man looked over to see Kirito standing over him, with a look of insanity covering his face. Raising his dual swords, Kirito quickly defeated the player. 

Reality sunk in on the remaining party. They had to kill him. They had to defeat Kirito to win, to survive. Attacks began, multiple players formed organized structured groups to throw at the dark haired man opposing them. Twenty groups emerged, formed by one hundred and fifty members. Kirito did not wait, he had one thought racing through his mind, ‘Escape’. and began to glow a bright blue, and he lunged forward. ripped through every player it connected with. Only one hit was required to turn most players into fragments of data, depending on their level compared to his. His single skill had taken out fifty-one people. Terror was evident as he looked among the faces of the enemies facing him. 

Nothing would stop them, both sides believed that. More players let out battle cries as they charged at Kirito. Blurs of colors was all that could be seen as everybody attacked the single dual swordsman. Polygons of multicolor data could be seen filling the room as Kirito single handedly defeated every person who opposed him. 

Thirty minutes had dragged by before the numbers of the remaining players in the game had dropped down to only one hundred and nine. Kirito glanced at his life force, which had not even reached the yellow zone yet. He placed both swords on his shoulders and waited for to activate. The yellow glow from his swords resonated throughout the chamber as he leapt forward and tore through even more human souls. It appeared that the lone swordsman was getting even faster, adapting to any challenge the game threw at him. He had found a way to take two lives with one strike of his blade. Swiftly, he thinned the numbers down to just twenty. A large dark skinned man approached him, carrying a battle axe in his hands. He swung at Kirito, who was easily able to deflect the weapon and stab into the man. After his player model disappeared, a mace smashed into his back. Kirito held his white sword out and spun around, listening to the pained screams of the girl he had just murdered.

A ginger haired man stepped forward, unsheathing his katana. A feeling rose up in the back of Kirito’s mind, but he was unable to place it. The samurai spoke out, “Kirito, how could you do this? You’ve been missing since the start of the game, and now you come and kill us?! No, I can’t accept that. You’ve killed so many girls, for that, you will pay!” 

Klein ran at the black suited warrior. His katana cut through the air, but Kirito was able to deflect it with little effort. Unleashing multiple quick slashes, Klein’s body became the color of his hair before he shattered apart. Kirito slowly made his way forward, finding a small girl cowering. A small creature was flying around her, and as he tried to end her life, the dragon flew in front of his sword and fell into two pieces before disappearing. The small girl yelled out, “Pina!!!” before claimed her life. A few men tried to rally. They essentially placed themselves on Kirito’s blades as he cut them down. 

Stumbling forward, a large grin made itself present across the insanity driven man. One person remained, but they posed no threat to him. He approached the girl standing before him. She wielded a rapier, and wore red and white clothing. 

“We’ve lost,” she began. “Thank you for ending me quickly, Kirito.”

This caused the dual swordsman to tilt his head as she spoke the same name the ginger had before. He lifted his main sword, and thrust it into the woman’s chest. He watched as her health quickly fell to zero, and once it did, a tear rolled down her cheek before she disappeared. 

Clapping sounded from the back of the room, “Congratulations once again, Kirito. I knew that out of the beta testers, you would be the best one to test, and I was correct. Your ability to throw others out the window to protect yourself, your drive for survival! Thank you for playing 


	11. Alternate Ending 1.5

Months had dragged by after Kazuto escaped from his living nightmare. Every day had been filled with physical and mental therapy. The doctors were surprised by how quickly his body was gaining muscle mass. His mind was traumatized; the nineteen year old had been exposed to aspects of life no one should have to experience. Everyday seemed to be a struggle as the young man continued his quest to return to society. 

Suguha had left home to attend college in Osaka, and rarely returned home. His adopted parents were always busy at work, and they were always on business trips. The only person who visited him was the healthcare worker that lived in his house during his rehabilitation period. She was a kind woman, and like the rest of the world, knows of what he had done.

When Kazuto had defeated the remaining players of the game and cleared , Kayaba had made a public announcement saying that all but one player had perished in his world. He described the trials he had put the character known as Kirito through. To end his broadcast, Kayaba explained that three thousand players had reached the final floor of , but had been slayed by the aforementioned Kirito. Soon after his broadcast, police had stormed his building, but Kayaba had disappeared. To this day no one has come forward with information on his whereabouts. 

On the first day he had been cleared to return to his home, people surrounded the hospital. The word murder filled the air as the men and women rioted. These were the families of the players that had died by Kazuto’s hand. Helicopters flew overhead as news stations recorded the proceedings at the medical facility. Police were called to quell the people and escort Kazuto to his residence. 

Now, people still tormented him about the incident. Everyday outside of his home, he could hear the shouts and names being thrown at him. With this environment, Kazuto’s mind will never be able to heal, and the doctors knew this.

“I’m going to the hospital to pick up your medication” Ayumi, the healthcare worker stated. “I’ll be back around in about an hour.”

She turned around and left the two story house. Kazuto listened to the voices of the families crowding around his home. Their words tore into his soul, and the faces of the players he had slain; the people were killed by his hands. Their spirits were embodied in the family that now tormented him. The memory was too much for the fragile man to endure.

Reaching under his bed, Kazuto pulled out a long black case. Opening it, a solid black sword rested on a red cloth. Lifting the blade up, Kazuto gazed at his reflection on the smooth surface. ‘I’ll go the same way as everyone else.`` Turning the tip of the sword so that it pointed at his chest, Kazuto thrust it into his body. Pain coursed through him as blood began to pour out of the wound. Dark spots began to fill his vision before his lifeless body collapsed onto the floor beneath him.


	12. Alternate Ending 2

Darkness filled his vision once again, just how it was before the start of this grueling trial. Seconds dragged by before a familiar voice began to speak above his head, “Congratulations on clearing . I am going to return you to society, enjoy…” 

Colors began to fill his vision before he appeared in front of the . Voices could be heard beyond the large doors, and an unusual sensation began sparked in his heart. Flinging the doors open, Kirito gazed at the group of people standing in front of him. A dramatic change occurred at that moment, and the insanity that had plagued the young man seemed to vanish in the blink of an eye. Everyone faced the new arrival, and many looked confused. They had gathered every player for the boss raid. Every remaining player in the game wanted to help defeat the final enemy and escape the death game. 

One man stepped forward and opened his menu. Scrolling through the options, he placed his finger on a word. The ginger man called out to him, “Kirito, it’s you!” The others around him looked confused, so Klein went through the long explanation, “I met Kirito back before the launch of the game. He helped me learn the basics of the game, and after the Kayaba announcement, he disappeared. My friend menu only showed question marks for his location, and his name was never crossed out of the .”

Many of the other players were still unsure if they could trust the man, but all doubt was wiped away quickly. The leader of stepped forward and pointed at Kirito. His voice boomed out across the group of three thousand, “Welcome Kirito, and congratulations on clearing your . I am afraid that the real me will be much more of a challenge than the AI version you fought before.”

Gasp sounded from many people as they realized what was going on, “Yes, I, Heathcliff, am actually Kayaba Akihiko, the creator of this world. I handpicked Kirito to be my guinea pig, and for the past five years, he has been isolated in a separate version of parallel to this one. He has proven himself a very strong willed individual, and he was given the skills to challenge me. The system of my world has deemed him the hero, and I the evil king that betrayed his followers. Prepare yourself Kirito, your hell is not through yet!”

Everyone stood stone solid; silence hung in the air. Everyone gazed at the two men staring at each other, and the tension between them was like a bolt of lightning striking the ground.

(Play this video: )

Kirito pushed Klein to the side of the room and rose from his kneeling position. He jerked his head, sending a cracking noise across the open area. Next he popped his knuckles, and the tension in his hands disappeared. Both hands reached above his shoulders, and two swords materialized. Looks of pure amazement ran among the players spectating the fight. Some players had tried to use a second sword, but the system automatically returned it to their inventory. The two opposing forces stood glaring at each other, before Kirito dashed at the armor clad man. His speed was unreal, and covered the distance in two steps. Wind rushed by the front row of the bystanders as the man began his assault. 

Metallic clangs resonated through the crowd as Kirito’s dual blades collided with Heathcliff’s shield. His dual blades began to glow a soft yellow as took hold of his actions. Heathcliff smiled and easily deflected every blow that was thrown at him. Once the skill had finished, the leader of cut into Kirito’s frame, leaving a red gash through his body. Each side seemed evenly matched as the two men fought, one to free everyone from a death trap, the other to prove that no one could defeat his system. 

Heathcliff seemed to have the advantage, and remained in the low green section of his health gauge, while Kirito was down to the low yellow. Letting out a roar, the hero charged forward and thrust his weapons forward, which Heathcliff easily blocked and stabbed into the young man, then kicked him across the room. Kirito’s body went sprawling across the floor. The force of the kick caused him to drop his swords, and they rested halfway between the two fighting men. 

“Face it Kirito, I am indestructible in my world, you have the knowledge to give up when you know you can’t win,” Kayaba spoke, wearing a smug look across his face. 

A few spectators called out to the man lying on the ground, “Come on Kirito!”

“Get up!”

“You are the only one who can defeat him!”

Kirito slowly rose from his spot on the ground, “Heh...hahahahahaha!”

Heathcliff gave a confused look at the man, “You must truly be insane, you know you have lost.”

Kirito continued laughing before he softly spoke one phrase, “Original Sword Skill.”

In the middle of the room, Kirito’s dual blades were covered in an orange aura, which brought another voice from the spectators, “How is he using a sword skill without holding the weapons?”

Rushing forward, Kirito wrapped his fingers around the handles of his blades. Heathcliff moved his shield to block the attack. He knew every sword skill the unique skill could do, and they all started with the same opening slash. Kirito swung in the direction Kayaba had predicted, and the crowd watching saw that the attack would be blocked. Kirito yelled again, and his blades velocity quickly changed. The white blade switched from right to left slash, to a diagonal upward cut. His weapon cut through Heathcliff’s hand, causing his shield to fall to the ground. The next sequence of maneuvers seemed impossible for any human to perform. 

Once the shield was gone, Kirito’s dual blades slashed at an amazing speed. To the three thousand players watching the events transpire, the black coat wearing player only attacked with roughly fifty slashes. A look of fear rested across Heathcliff’s face before he shattered into data fragments. The entire room was silent. After a few seconds, a question came out of the crowd, “W-what was that?” (End Music)

Kirito held his head up, which was something he had not done since before the launch of the game, “I created a sword skill the system previously did not have. Once it was created, the system added it, but was assigned exclusively to me. Even the creator of this death game did not know of it.”

Silence once more, before another question was asked, “What is it?”

“Hell’s Revenge,” Kirito spoke out. “It is a two hundred hit super armor skill, and can only be used by me, as I previously stated. Also, you don’t have to hide, I know where you are.”

A small girl stepped out of the group who had formed a circle around Kirito. Before she could speak, a female voice sounded from all sides of them, “As of December 14, 2027, Sword Art Online has been cleared. Sword Art Online has been cleared.”

Months had passed since the death game had been defeated. The country of Japan set up an annual Sword Art Online remembrance event to honor the lives of the six thousand that perished as they fought to escape Kayaba’s world. Kazuto was the guest of honor, and everyone gave the man thanks for defeating the final boss of the game. Society accepted the Sword Art Online survivors with open arms. Facilities were established to help the survivors return into the world, such as schools. The death game was fading into a memory, and Kazuto’s future was looking bright.


	13. Alternate Ending 3

Darkness filled his vision once again, just how it was before the start of this grueling trial. He waited, waited for the world to appear around him, but nothing happened. Seconds dragged by until a voice boomed overhead, “Kirito, I must congratulate you on clearing my test. I believe no one but you could survive my game alone, and it would appear I choose correctly. I have one more surprise for you before you can leave my world...”

Light began to appear around him, and pixels stacked on top of each other as the world materialized around Kirito. Once it was finished, he opened his eyes to see the Town of Beginnings. A bell sounded above him, then around him, blue lights flashed. He shot his gaze around, catching glimpses of other players’ faces. He felt pain rushing through his head. It had been over five years since he had seen other people, like himself. They were talking, confusion running through them. Warning messages appeared across the sky, causing the entire plaza to be bathed in red. An ooze seeped through each polygon, coming together to form a large hooded figure. 

‘The start…’ Heathcliff began to speak, explaining to the players what would be transpiring. He finished his speech with a direct message to the insane player, “Kirito, welcome back.”

With that, he disappeared, and the sky went back to it’s normal color. Everyone stood solid, unmoving. Questions about this ‘Kirito’ started to move through the crowd. The insanity driven man began to laugh, bellowing out through the entire plaza. Every pair of eyes turned and rested on him, their gazes burning through his jacket. Kirito finished his laughter, then darted out of the town. Even with his stats being reset, he still knew every floor by heart. He had explored every meter of Aincrad, and he planned to use that knowledge. No one would be able to stop him. 

It had been six months since the reset. It appeared that none of the other players had any memories of the first five years of the game. Only Kirito. He was a legend to the players. He was the top solo player, and the strongest in the game. Because of him, the game had been cleared up to floor thirty-eight. No one came close to his level, causing him to be alone once more, just how it was before. 

At the floor boss, guilds of players rested outside of the door. Footsteps sounded from the entrance into the chamber, and each person moved to form a path. Shocked gasp sounded as The Black Swordsman, one of his many names, came striding into the area. Kirito had received every Last Attack Bonus thus far, and that would never change. He walked up to the large stone door that led to the boss and pushed it aside, entering. The guilds followed behind him. 

A roar sounded from the depths of the boss room, then a large monster leapt forward. The players fighting in the guilds took a ready stance. Kirito reached behind his back, withdrawing his custom sword. Excitement ran through the group or sixty players. For many, this would be the first time they were able to see the strongest player in combat. Before he began his assault, he placed his left hand over his shoulder, and another sword appeared. Gasp filled the air; no one was able to wield two swords in Sword Art Online. They watched as Kirito charged forward, swinging his blades in tandem. The weapons became covered in a blue aura, then The Black Swordsman returned to his assault. His sword skill ravaged the enemies body, red cuts covering it. When the skill was finished, the beast shattered. Not a single scratch was present on the man who had just soloed a floor boss. 

Floor sixty-one was the highest the players had reached thus far. It had been eleven months since the restart of the game. Kirito was still the main force on the battlefield. The closest player to him was over seventy levels below him. No one would challenge him, knowing they would be defeated in less than five seconds. People questioned what had driven him to this point, what fueled him to continue improving. No one knew his past, the five years of trauma he had suffered to get to this point. 

Some tried to approach him, ask if he wanted to join their guild or party with them, but he was always silent. It was difficult to track him down. Since he knew every location in Aincrad, he would find the most remote locations that offered the highest rewards. Some of the spots even info brokers had no information on. 

Kirito had maxed out many of his skills, and he was already level one hundred and forty. He had received Elucidator once again from a quest, and had crafted Divine Requiem. His equipment matched his original perfectly. The last step was to reach the max level, and the final floor of Sword Art Online, and to escape the hell caused by Kayaba.

The Ruby Palace was in front of him. Kirito had reached it first, by himself. He was level two hundred and fifty, the highest level possible. He pushed open the doors and entered, making his way straight for the next set of doors. Once he opened them, he saw Heathcliff standing there. 

“Welcome Kirito, I knew you would reach me, but this time is incredible. Only a year and a half! You should congratulate yourself!” 

Kirito stared at the man, his eyes glazed over. It almost seemed as if he were a corpse, waiting for a proper burial. 

Heathcliff continued, “We will not fight. As a reward for reaching me so early, I will allow you to leave. Thank you for playing Sword Art Online.”

The creator of the game opened his menu and brought up the administrative menu. He pressed on a few tabs before closing the menu. A smile spread across his face before he spoke, “I’ll be seeing you.

Kirito’s frame was covered in blue and white light. Darkness surrounded him, then pixels stacked on top of each other before he appeared in the Town of Beginnings. Other players spawned around him, then the sky turned red and a hooded figure appeared. He began a speech, finished with, “Welcome back Kirito…”


	14. Alternate Ending 4

Darkness filled his vision once again, just how it was before the start of this grueling trial. Images flew by him; people fighting monsters, even each other. The Black Swordsman just stared at the final image. It was the entirety of Aincrad, the floating steel castle. Footsteps sounded from behind him, and he quickly spun around. A man was standing there, wearing a white lab. He looked familiar, but Kirito was unable to recall where he had seen the man before. 

“Hello Kirito. It's good to see you,” the brown haired man spoke.

The Black Swordsman cocked his head, like a dog. The man continued, “My name is Kayaba Akihiko. I am the creator of Sword Art Online. I wanted to say congratulations, and that I apologize. It was not right for me to test you like that. You being trapped was not an accident. I had planned on developing more realistic VR games, and to do that I need research. Human emotions, how the mind reacts to certain stimuli. I chose you to be my guinea pig. I watched all of the beta testers, and out of them all, you showed the most promise. If anyone could make it through Sword Art Online and give me the data I required, it would be you.”

Kirito continued to stare, watching the movements of the man before. This was the first person he had met that was not an NPC since the beta test, and an unfamiliar feeling rose up within him. His mind was fighting between attacking the man, or standing there in awe. Memories of his Sword Art Online experience up to this point came flooding back. It was like an infection, the trauma caused by the game had found a way into his mind, even his heart. All of his pain, caused by one devious man with goals that only benefited him. 

Kayaba continued his lecture, “You served as a shining beacon for the human race, you are what people should strive to be. A man with no regrets, running on pure survival skills. Society today has become too relaxed, but what if war broke out, and people were required to survive. Do you believe they would be able to do it? I do not. My plan is to use VR games to force humans to adapt, just as you have. Our bodies were meant for greater things than sitting in front of a TV screen. We were built to fight, run, and protect. Our limbs can be used in numerous ways, yet people do not utilize them. You were one of these people, but when enough pressure was applied, you adapted. This was my true goal, and using the data I acquired from you, I can now further my research, and create the ultimate test of human will!”

Anger began to rise up inside of the swordsman. Listening to the babbling of the man before him was unbearable. Channeling the anger that was welling up inside of him, Kirito began to yell, speaking for the first time in five years, “You’re wrong. Do not try to justify your methods with me, because I don’t care. You think humans are weak? I’ll show you that we are strong!”

With that, the swordsman pulled out his dual blades and lunged at the man in the white coat. Just before they penetrated the man’s body, an invisible field repelled them. A small purple box appeared above his head, stating that he was an Immortal Object. Kayaba grinned slightly, “You are still within my world Kirito. I control all that happens here, you stand no chance.”

The Black Swordsman let his words sink in, holding his swords next to his body. He lowered his head, and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, Kirito let out an evil laugh. Kayaba looked at the man confused. The swordsman charged forward once again, thrusting with Divine Requiem, and slashing with Elucidator. Immortal Object appeared once more, but Kirito kept pushing down. Using all the strength he had, the Black Swordsman broke through the Immortal Object forcefield, and cut into the man. He retracted his swords, and watched as Kayaba fell. 

“Ho-how did you?...” the creator of Sword Art Online trailed off as he slid onto the ground.

Kirito looked down at him, his eyes narrowed, “Humans are not playthings, and we are strong. You were too blind to see that.”

Kayaba took one last breath, before exhaling and shattering into pieces. Light enveloped The Black Swordsman. His grueling trial was finally over. Five years spent in isolation was coming to an end, and Kirito smiled.


End file.
